Rosanna riding the Leader around Mercer Island
Early Saturday morning I piled on the layers, pumped up my tires and officially came out of cycling hibernation. This didn't mean that the weather was remotely warm, but actually, the weather was remotely bearable. I should preface that by explaining that I've actually been on the bike through snow, freezing temperatures, heavy rain and even hail without glasses to shield my eyes. So I've paid my dues to the racing regimen and now I'm enjoying the option of being a "fair weathered" cyclist through one of Seattle's colder winter seasons from what I can recall.
The perfect and easy kind of ride to help me get back in the saddle is a quick loop around Mercer Island. I started at the hot-spot meeting place for cyclists in Leschi and watched many teams gather and take off while I took the last sip from my hot Americano and a swig of water to wash it all down. My husband, Brian, joined the ride with me and a couple friends of mine until he met up with his team heading in the opposite direction.
The frost laid around in the shadows, but nothing terribly dangerous that I noticed. I did, however, notice how slow my legs were and how much of a difference just a couple months off the bike can make when climbing those short hills. Even though I've been running more significant mileage as I'm training for a June marathon, the muscles I needed to work in my favor weren't waking up!
The combination of crisp weather, waking up my muscles and an earlier start in my training this year made for a perfect ride.
Rosanna
